Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bar the shopping, and the opportunity to eat scorpions, testicles and the like at two fantastic
night markets , Dong'anmen and Xiaochi Jie, there's little to see in Wangfujing bar the oc-
casionally grisly Police Museum , a series of colonial-era buildings in the curious legations
quarter , and the National Art Museum of China , a huge exhibition hall showcasing state-
approved artworks.
The old legations quarter
Qianmen (line 2) and Chongwenmen subway (lines 2 & 5)
Scurry into the backstreets between Tian'anmen Square and Chongwenmennei Dajie, and al-
most within sight of the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum and other Soviet-in-
spired symbols of Chinese power, you'll come to an odd area that shows very different in-
fluences. This was the legations quarter , created at the behest of foreign officials in 1861,
and run as an autonomous district with its own postal system, taxes and defences; initially,
Chinese were not permitted entry without a pass. By the 1920s more than twenty countries
had legations here, most built in the style of their home countries, with imported fittings but
using local materials, and today you'll see plenty of Neoclassical facades and wrought-iron
balconies. Most of the buildings are now used by the police and are therefore politically sens-
itive - the area was left blank on maps until the 1980s.
You won't be allowed into most of these old concession buildings, though there are a few
exceptions. The old YokohamaSpecieBank ( 横滨正金银行 , héngbīn zhēngjīn yínháng) off
Zhengyi Lu is a Gothic Revival building constructed by the Japanese in the 1930s. Much of
the opulent interior, including the chandeliers, tiled floor and balustrades, is original; you'll
arouse curiosity, but should be allowed in. Along the road is the Gothic Revival StMichael's
Church ( 圣弥额尔天主堂 , shèngmí é'ĕr tiānzhŭtáng), which is worth a poke about if you
find it open. Yielding to local taste, the pillars are painted red as in Chinese temples, and the
statues of the saints are labelled in Chinese characters.
Police Museum
警察博物馆 , jǐngchá bówùguǎn • Dongjiaomin Xiang • Tues-Sun 9am-4pm • 5 • 010 85225001 • Qian-
men subway (line 2)
Anything vaguely related to crime or public order is exhibited on the four floors of the Police
Museum , including plenty of uniforms and weapons, forensics tools and an ingenious Qing-
dynasty fire engine. It's not for the squeamish: there's a skull that's been caved in by an axe,
some horrific crime-scene photos and ancient execution tools - and you can cap off a visit
with a blast on the firing range on the fourth floor, though all you get to shoot is, alas, a laser
gun. Check out the gift shop tat - all sorts of authority figure key-ring dolls are on offer, in-
cluding one of the internet censor.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search